For the first time since the day of the funeral, Wunder felt the stone of his heart warm. Faye had seen shadows in the DoorWay House, like he had. Faye’s grandfather had seen the spirals spin, like he had.

But he didn’t want any of it to be true. It couldn’t be true. “No one has ever lived in that house before!” he cried. Now he was the loud one, he was the one kids were staring at.

Faye held up one finger menacingly. Wunder was sure she was going to scream again. Or maybe jab him in the eyeball.

Instead, she took a deep breath through her nose. Her expression melted back into blankness. Her finger dropped. “Fine,” she said. “There’s absolutely nothing supernatural going on at the DoorWay House that we need to investigate. So let’s just go on a nice, ordinary, boring walk instead, okay?”

Wunder thought about telling her that she couldn’t come. But then he didn’t.

Chapter 11

As they started through town, Wunder was trying not to do three things.

He was trying not to hear Faye’s words in his head: He saw those spirals moving.

He was trying not to notice the stone of his heart, still not-so-cold inside him.

He was trying not to wonder if the witch would be on her porch again, waving at him.

He was trying, but he was failing on all three counts.

But Faye, unsurprisingly, was not going to let him stay in his own thoughts. “Where are we walking, Wundie?” she asked after less than a block of silent strolling.

“Just around,” Wunder said vaguely.

“Around? What for? Exploring? Meditating? Achieving enlightenment? I know a lot about enlightenment. My grandfather and I talked about it sometimes. My mother didn’t like that, but my grandfather was very open. He said that if you want enlightenment, you have to accept that nothing in this life is permanent.” She paused. “I don’t think I’m very enlightened.”

Wunder thought about his sister. What was more impermanent than an eight-day-old baby? But did he accept that?

“I’m not trying to achieve enlightenment,” he said. “I’ve been—” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I went back to the cemetery yesterday. I was thinking about going again.”

“Three days in a row among the dead?” Faye shook her head slowly, her bangs brushing past her eyebrows and back. “That’s pretty morbid, Wundie.”

“No, it’s not,” Wunder protested. “I’m not—I had something to leave there, and I didn’t get to—”

“There’s nothing wrong with being morbid,” Faye said. “Why not spend time in a graveyard?” She spread her arms out, a side of her cloak clutched in either black-gloved hand. “Let’s go.”

In the woods, the tips of the leaves were just beginning to turn red and gold. It was quiet there, and Branch Hill Cemetery was empty too, as usual.

“So what should we do?” Faye asked as they passed through the iron gate. Her voice was hushed, and Wunder wondered if she was feeling the same way he was—like they really shouldn’t be there. “Aren’t you supposed to visit graves all the time and pray for the dead in your religion?”